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The husband’s horror mimicked Hannah’s – probably because he had no intention of confronting her, but was now backed into a corner. ‘Surely you didn’t, did you?’ he asked, pleading with Hannah to help him out of this difficult spot by proving herself innocent of this creepy crime.

‘I didn’t, I swear!’ She glanced around at the surrounding passengers, who were giving her curious or disgusted looks. She shoved her phone screen towards the mum. ‘See!’

Her humiliation wasn’t over. The mum, dad, children and surrounding passengers – even the baby, who decided to unlatch with a smacking pop – turned to have a good old gawk.

Caleb’s eyes widened as he realised the attention of half the gate was strangely focused on him for no apparent reason.

The mum turned back and gave a sniffing shrug, then declared very loudly, ‘You shouldn’t take pictures of people without their permission.’

‘I’m deleting it. See!’ Hannah fumbled with her screen until it made a comically loud whooshing sound, confirming that the image no longer soiled her good name and had indeed been deleted.

The crowd and mum were appeased, and to her relief, the tannoy bellowed her flight details, adding, ‘Families with young children and passengers requiring assistance, please proceed to the desk for boarding.’

In a flurry of breasts and bags, the family gathered up their children and went to the gate. Unfortunately, it left a gaping hole between herself and Caleb. Their eyes met, and she shrivelled up inside as a small, knowing smile twisted up the corners of his wide and disturbingly kissable mouth.

Squirming and wishing she were dead, Hannah tried her best to brave it out, acting as if nothing were happening and casually staring up at the departure gate information screen as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. She prayed with all her might that she was not sitting anywhere near Caleb Townsend and his smug, arrogant face.

But when her row number was finally called, Caleb stood up to join her in the queue as well. Today, Hannah was most definitely not #livingherbestlife, because he sidled up behind her and murmured softly in that deeply seductive American drawl, ‘I’d have given you a picture, sweetheart. All you had to do was ask.’

Chapter Two

Please don’t be sat by me.

Please.

Please.

Please.

Please don’t be sat by me.

The words were like a Gregorian chant in her mind, getting higher pitched with each shuffled step she took down the plane’s aisle. But no matter how many steps away from him she took, Caleb’s bulky shadow remained ominously behind her. She remembered him being tall, but she could have sworn he’d gained another couple of inches on his previous six foot. Either that or she’d shrunk, her spine crumbling out of sheer embarrassment.

The mum who’d accused her of being a pervert was unloading her kids’ hand luggage further up, wildly shoving snacks and tablets at them, while the dad was jiggling the baby in the opposite row. Glancing at the seat number on her boarding card, Hannah guessed she’d be seated next to the dad.

‘Guess we’re sitting together,’ said a deep voice from behind her, a boarding card with the same row number sweeping down from above as if to prove Caleb’s point. She smothered a groan.

‘I’ll move out of your way,’ said the dad, getting up and moving with the baby into the aisle.

The only small mercy was that the dad would be sat in between them. She took off her backpack and was about to stow it in the overhead locker when Caleb took it from her without asking and pushed it in beside his own.

‘Thanks,’ she muttered reluctantly, a little annoyed by his heavy-handed chivalry. Did he think she fancied him because she’d taken his picture?

Yes, of course he did!

Marvelous. ‘I could have done it myself,’ she added defensively, hoping to put him off from any further flirting or unwelcome gallantry.

He obviously didn’t recognise her, or he would have said so before. Strangely, she was a little disappointed by that fact, which was the most shocking thing of all. Perhaps that old version of her – Pencil (shudder) – wanted to be remembered by him.

‘I know, I’m just closer to it than you,’ said Caleb, pointedly towering over her five-foot-four-in-thick-soled-trainers frame, as if he found her defence of her bag-stowing abilities amusing.

Deciding that arguing the point would only make her look more ridiculous, she slid into the window seat of their row. She had packed all of her essentials for the flight in her crossbody bag, and now tucked it under the seat in front of her, buckled in, and stared out of the window at the drizzling rain. That would make her feel better about her choices, travelling from the rain into glorious sunshine.

The seat next to her shifted dramatically as a large body dropped down beside her.

It was Caleb, and he was talking to the dad with the baby. ‘Better if I sit in the middle – that way, you’re closer to your family.’

The dad didn’t seem too thrilled by the prospect, but his wife gave a gushing thank you, so it wasn’t as if he could argue.